There will be a few sleepless nights for the Christopher’s Cake Shop team, as they gear up to bake and sell over 5,500 tsourekia during the week of Greek Orthodox Easter.
Christopher’s, which first opened its doors in July of 1953 on Bourke St, Surry Hills, is known as one of the longest-running cake stores - not only in Sydney but all of Australia.
And now with 10 stores all around the city, from Mascot and Eastgardens to Kogarah and Kirrawee, they have become the leading Greek cake shop in NSW.
“People from around the state head into our stores to grab their favourite sweets and freshly baked Greek Easter goods. And leading up to Orthodox Easter, to keep up with high demand, we operate on a three-shift basis. Our first group of pastry chefs head into the kitchen at 4 am and the last group finishes at midnight,” says Kyriakos Panayi, CEO of Christopher’s.
Now if you are wondering what it takes to actually make so many tsourekia, it requires over two tonnes of flour, 336 kg of eggs, and 360 kg of butter!
Christopher’s signature traditional tsoureki features a three-strand braid, representing the Holy Trinity in the Christian tradition, and is decorated with a red-dyed egg- symbolising the blood of Christ and the renewal of life.
“Our tsoureki is loved by people of all ages and not only by our Greek customers but from people of different nationalities who come in each year to pick up this popular sweet bread, which is a staple on every Greek Easter table,” adds Kyriakos.
Along with their signature tsoureki, this time of year, you can also pick up other delicious Easter treats, including Cypriot Flaounes- made with golden flaky pastry and filled with three types of cheeses, including Haloumi, as well as a variety of Koulouria that are available by the piece or in packaged gift boxes- making the perfect Easter gift too.
“It’s a very busy time of the year for us and admittedly although there are a few nights with very little sleep, it’s also our favourite time of year, as we love being able to offer our customers traditional flavours of the Greek kitchen, which hold rich cultural significance and are an integral part of Greek Easter celebrations,” says Kyriakos.
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